Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates. The method seeks to develop controlled movement from a strong core. Today tens of thousands of instructors instruct millions of Americans in this popular and effective exercise discipline.
Originally developed as a series of mat exercises, the Pilates method quickly evolved to take advantage of several pieces of equipment. Each piece of equipment is configured for particular exercises, and many utilize springs or other biasing elements to provide resistance training. Resistance may be “progressive resistance,” in which resistance increases as the biasing element is stretched or compressed, or “linear resistance,” in which the resistance remains constant as the biasing element is manipulated.
The most widely used Pilates apparatus has long been the reformer. Reformers are made in a variety of styles and materials. For example, some reformers are made of wood, while others are formed of metal. Some reformers sit low to the ground, while others are elevated upon pedestals or legs. Despite this variety, reformers existing in the prior art have many commonalities, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, which illustrate a typical example of a reformer 50. Reformer 50 includes a frame 52, a foot/hand bar 54, a unified carriage 56 to support the body of a user, generally in a sitting, lying, or kneeling position, a set of springs (not shown) that may be adjusted to achieve a desired resistance, a headrest 60, shoulder blocks 62 to stabilize the user as the carriage is moved, and a set of straps 64 that tie to carriage 56 through a set of elevated pulleys 66.
Pilates is generally practiced in a studio environment under the direction of a certified instructor. This business model introduces a number of practical, logistical, and financial concerns relating to how Pilates equipment can and should function. For instance, studio-quality Pilates equipment is sturdy equipment that consumes a great deal of space within a studio. Each piece of equipment is an investment, with reformers reaching several-thousand dollars apiece. Under these types of space and economic constraints, it is desirable for each piece of studio equipment to provide a maximum range of exercises, thereby allowing the studio to maximize the range of classes offered, while minimizing its investment in equipment and making the most efficient and economically advantageous use of its studio space.
While existing reformers may be used to complete a variety of exercises, they are often supplemented with several other types of equipment, such as chairs, barrels, towers, and, more recently, the CoreAlign® system. As shown in prior art FIG. 4, a CoreAlign® system 100 utilizes a frame 102 that fully encloses two separate tracks 104 and two separate carts 106. Carts 106 move independently within tracks 104 using resistance created by elastic tubes (not shown) suspended between each cart 106 and one or both ends of the frame 102. Unlike reformers, which, as discussed above in reference to FIGS. 1-3, feature a unified carriage instead of two separate carts, the CoreAlign® system allows for split or scissor-type movement of the legs and/or other body parts. Like reformers, each CoreAlign® system costs thousands of dollars and consumes a substantial real-estate imprint.
To achieve the array of exercise offerings that customers demand and studio owners and instructors desire to provide, many studios invest in both reformer and CoreAlign® equipment, which requires not only a significant capital outlay, but also substantially increases cash flow requirements in the form of ongoing maintenance expenses and expenses to lease or buy sufficient studio square footage. In addition, the need to use two sets of standing, non-portable equipment to achieve a full array of desired exercises reduces a studio's flexibility in terms of class offerings and/or instructor scheduling. To make both types of equipment available during any given class, half of the equipment must be free for a portion of the time. That is, instead of twenty customers taking a class in which they utilize a single piece of equipment, a class maxes out at ten customers who each utilize two pieces of equipment over the duration of the class. Thus, the studio's expenses increase while profits decrease, an objectionable combination.
While the above discussion focuses on the studio environment, it should be noted that some individual practitioners have the resources and do purchase Pilates equipment such as the reformer and/or CoreAlign® system for home use. That said, these consumers have similar concerns to studio operators in that they must purchase and maintain multiple pieces of equipment and have the space available to keep these non-portable devices exercise ready in order to get the complete workout desired.
Equipment manufacturers, unlike studio owners and instructors, are disincentivized to innovate in the arena of multifunctional equipment that can perform the functions of multiple systems because there is a ceiling on what any given apparatus can cost, and fewer machines on offer results in lower sales. The concerns of the individual practitioner or practice provider differ, however, and demand visionary equipment that can fulfill multiple roles.